


modern anidala! quarantine

by localspacepirate



Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, corona time, it is what it is, this is just for fun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:28:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23308351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/localspacepirate/pseuds/localspacepirate
Summary: Modern Anidala faces the trials of self-quarantine due to COVID-19.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 16
Kudos: 62





	1. phase one

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys!! this whole self-distancing and self-isolation has got me going crazy, and I thought this could be a fun way to cope. this is part one and there's more to come.

“Anakin, come here.” Padme called out from the living room, her voice tensed, worry strung between each syllable.

The two had been married long enough for Anakin to recognize this tone as meaning one of two things: she’d found out about some stunt he and Obi-Wan pulled in the Coruscant Police Department or the current political state was in shambles. Again.

Pushing through their kitchen doors, he stepped out, eyes resting on his pregnant wife, and at no immediate sign of danger, he breathed in a quiet sigh. Padme would never understand how beautiful she was — ever since the first time he laid eyes on her. It frustrated him at times, when she looked in the mirror to pick apart her flaws: squeeze a pimple, rub at a smile crease, pinch the bridge of her nose. Every part of her was so captivating.

“Do you see this? The virus has escalated so rapidly, the WHO is calling it a pandemic. We’re under suggestive quarantine according to Mayor Palpatine.”

Anakin didn’t miss the distaste in her voice as he walked over and leaned against the side of the couch, his arms folding across his chest. News flashed before his eyes: statistics of those who had died around the world, the symptoms to look out for, precautions to take. At the mention of the risk to pregnant women, Anakin’s eyes flitted to Padme’s stomach, the bump half covered by a blanket his mother knitted for her.

“I know that look,” Padme’s voice drew his eyes to hers, “I’ll be okay. It’s still the early second trimester.”

“We can’t take any chances, Padme,” Anakin shook his head, climbing down to his knees in front of her. He reached out and clasped her hands in his, leaning forward to press his forehead against the roundest part of her stomach. It’d quickly become his favorite pose, to venerate his wife, “You know I only want you and our babies to be safe.”

The plurality still tasted foreign on his tongue. They’d be overjoyed to find out Padme was pregnant of course, and Anakin even more so to learn that their family would expand so quickly, but he couldn’t help but to be nervous. Without a father of his own, he doubted his ability to nurture his children as he should. But the one thing he knew he could do was protect them.

“I know, my love.” Padme sighed and reached out to run a hand through his hair, playing with the strands on the back of his neck, “But I have work, and you have work. And we need groceries, things for the house, things for the babies. You can’t possibly do it all.”

“Yes I can,” Anakin stubbornly tilted his head up, resting his chin on her bump, “and I will. You won’t ever have to leave this house, I promise.”

***  
When Anakin made a promise, he kept it: perhaps one of his greatest characteristics and also one of his greatest flaws. Every day, he woke at the break of dawn, made Padme breakfast and left it in their library-turned-office along with a steaming cup of coffee. He then would kiss Padme as he left for work, taking lunch when around two in the afternoon when he knew she’d be hungry. He’d pick up one of her favorite salads or subs from the Italian restaurant by their house, drop it off in the garage for her to have without them ever needing to come into contact. Originally, having to isolate himself from his wife hadn’t been part of the plan, but Obi Wan was quick to remind them they were constantly in contact with potential carriers in the police department. When dinner time rolled around, he was back home, showered and scrubbed with antibacterial soap from his head to his feet. He’d either stop by somewhere on the way home or make something as Padme finished her work for the day. The system functioned without flaw, and enough coffee and quick protein bars fueled Anakin through it.

But Padme was going crazy. She appreciated her husband’s efforts to keep her safe, particularly so as the dangers and risks increased, but she hadn’t left the house in well over three weeks, staring at the same walls each time she grew bored. Anakin was skeptical to even allow her to walk their dog, Artoo, convinced the germs lingered in the air.

Luckily for Padme, she excelled in diplomacy and after a week of their system, she’d called Ahsoka, one of Anakin’s trainees in the department and begged for mercy. Obi Wan was a little too lawful to be turned, but Ahsoka graciously sent Padme a text each time Anakin left the department to be on his way home, and Padme would quickly conclude her evening walk to be back in her office by the time he arrived.

But today, she’d been too distracted by Artoo harassing a squirrel that when she checked her phone, she noted the text had arrived fifteen minutes prior. That gave her five minutes to be home from a ten minute walk.

Muttering a curse to the skies, Padme and the faithful border collie sprinted down the street, her calves pounding as she quickly let Artoo inside and slipped in, the garage opening and Anakin’s car pulling in only moments later.

Not stopping to think, Padme kicked off her shoes and hurried over to the couch, drawing a blanket over her body as she flicked the television on. Seconds passed before the door to the garage opened and Anakin waved from the kitchen, disappearing into the bathroom to have his nightly shower. Padme breathed a sigh of relief, leaning her head back against a pillow.

Twenty minutes passed before Anakin exited the bathroom, and Padme waited to hear the door to their room close as he changed, but instead he sauntered into the living room, towel draped around his waist and water glistening on his bare chest. 

Padme’s breath caught in her lungs as she looked up to him, keeping her gaze steady. The occasional scar shone in the light on his skin, but it never failed to amaze her how her body reacted to him. Especially with pregnancy hormones: she couldn’t seem to keep her hands off of him.

“Is everything with Artoo okay?” Anakin raised an eyebrow.

“Hm?” Padme drifted out of focus, biting the inside of her cheek as her eyes ran down his body before she snapped to focus, “Yeah, he’s fine. Why?”

“I just noticed that he’s doing his squirrel dance,” Anakin folded his arms over his chest. “But you usually keep him out of the office when you work in there. The only tree with squirrels around here in the one that’s out of the office window.”

Damn. For how boyish Anakin was at time, Padme often underestimated his perception.

“He must have run in when I was going to the bathroom,” Padme shrugged and curled up into the blanket with a little yawn, “Bad Artoo.”

“Uh-huh,” Anakin nodded as he walked over to her and leaned down to press his lips to her forehead, “Bad Artoo, huh? I’ll get started on dinner.”

“Like that?” Padme frowned as she watched him walk into the kitchen, the towel sliding down his waist a few millimeters.

“Yeah. Why not?” Anakin had turned so his back was to her, but she could hear the smile in his voice. He knew something, just enough to want to torture her. And he knew exactly how to.

“Fine.”

***  
Nobody explicitly stated that the situation would get better in time, but the Skywalker family hadn’t expected the pandemic to get so much worse. All public gatherings were cancelled and because of his exposure to Padme and her pregnancy, the police department (at the pushing of Obi Wan) requested that Anakin take a leave of absence. 

At first, it hadn’t been awful. He took the time to sleep in, watch Padme work, play with Artoo, but after a week of the repetitive structure, the vein on his neck protruded against his skin, his body tight with tension. It felt as though he were going to explode if he had to be stuck in the house any longer with nothing to do.

“Obi Wan, you’ve gotta help me.” Anakin leaned against his car in the garage as his oldest, most trusted friend offered him a donut from the pink box he’d brought. With most people stuck at home, the police weren’t needed if they weren’t immediately on duty, and Obi Wan took the free time to visit the Skywalker.

A chuckle escaped the man as he sipped at his coffee, “Anakin, weren’t you the one telling Padme how easy it was to be stuck at home? Enjoy the time with your wife before the babies come. Read a book, catch up on paperwork.”

The glare Anakin gave Obi Wan could have burned straight through him.

“Right,” Obi Wan chuckled again, “you leave the paperwork for me.”

“This isn’t a joke,” Anakin threw his hands up, his fingers clutching the donut a little too tightly. “I don’t know how people do it. I sit around all day and stare at the tv and watch damn Mayor Palpatine talk about how quarantine is the best way to solve this because it slows the spreading. Where are the results? When can I leave the damn house?”

“I feel as though this is a conversation you should have with Padme.”

“Oh no,” Anakin quickly shook his head, looking over his shoulder, “I can’t Obi Wan. She’d have my head if she knew how difficult this was for me. She’s been so good at it. She stays composed, does her work. I can’t be the one struggling when she's pregnant and dealing with the weight of this political mess and the pandemic.”

Obi Wan stroked his beard, thoughtfully watching the door that led into their house. Usually, he’d go in to say hello to Padme, but Anakin instilled a strict rule that anyone who came in contact with his wife would have to undergo a shower and severe decontamination first.

“I’ll speak with Windu and Yoda. See if they have any remote work that can be done: manning a phone or going through the archives.”

Anakin groaned, but Obi Wan shook his head, “Beggars can’t be choosers, Anakin. It’s the best I can do for now.”

Eventually, Obi Wan’s pager went off as he was called onto shift and Anakin thanked his friend for coming. When he made his way into the house again, he found Padme humming at the kitchen counter, a spoonful of peanut butter clasped between her lips.

“Everything alright, Ani?” She smiled sweetly at him, batting her eyelashes, and Anakin couldn’t help but to get the idea that she knew something.

“Everything is perfect.” He returned the smile and flopped down onto the couch, silently praying that Obi Wan would hurry and get him some work.


	2. phase two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin begins to have nightmares of Padme catching COVID-19 and fears for her health. Meanwhile, the ongoing situation inspires Padme to think of a solution.

**2 Months After Initiating Quarantine**

The nightmares began once the babies started kicking. Anakin woke in the dead of night, sweat drenching his body and his quarter of the blankets as Padme shifted beside him, her face twisting. Moments later, she gasped and jolted upwards, eyes wide at Anakin. For a moment, fear flashed in his chest, worrying perhaps his nightmares were coming true.

But Padme grabbed his hand and placed it over her bump. Beneath his palm, he felt one kick, quickly followed by another with the pressure of angry butterflies. In awe, the two of them stayed awake the rest of the night, curled around Padme’s stomach, listening for a secret message.

Anakin was able to forget his nightmares that night, and they didn’t return for another few days. But when they did, they were worse than before.

Each one seemed a continuation of the other: Padme catching the virus, Padme sick with a fever in bed, horrific images of Padme bleeding from her eyes and nose in bed, Padme losing the babies and her life to the virus. The CDC confirmed the worsening of the virus, and it only heightened Anakin’s fear of losing his wife. People were dying by the day now — the Skywalker family luckily had been able to get their hands on masks, but even those seemed futile in comparison to the death rate.

The edge in Anakin led to him snapping: at Padme, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, Windu, even Police Chief Yoda, who seemed disturbed by the change in the man. 

There was only one person Anakin believed could help keep Padme safe: Mayor Palpatine. Every two days, he was on the news with promises of the city working on vaccinations, promises of improved masks — he even promised Coruscant would be the first place cleared of the virus in the country. Padme didn’t believe him, but if not him, Anakin trusted his resources. And being one of the CPD’s best officers was enough to get a meeting with the mayor.

“Where are you going?” Padme lifted her head from the couch, and Anakin quietly cursed, having hoped that she’d been napping.

Dressed in all black with black gloves and a black scarf wrapped around his nose and mouth, he probably looked as though he was going to rob a bank, and he had no doubt the higher pitch of Padme’s voice was suspicion.

“I need to drop off some paperwork at the office. Obi-Wan asked for it,” he smiled at his wife, guilt creeping into his chest at the lie.

Padme looked disbelieving, but if anything, Anakin hoped she assumed he just needed a breath of fresh air. The babies kicking reignited their excitement to be locked up together, but tensions quickly grew once again as they sat with nothing to do.

“Will you be gone long?”

“Not too long. An hour or two.”

Padme nodded and returned to the TV, “Ahsoka might visit.”

“The company will be good. Tell her and Barriss I say hello,” Anakin walked over and pecked the top of her head before briskly walking to the garage and climbing into his car.

The twenty-minute drive to Mayor Palpatine’s office took only ten in the now empty streets and before entering, guards checked his ID and crossmatched it with the appointments the mayor had for the day. Next, they ushered him inside, checked his temperature, and asked him a few questions about his health and any potential symptoms he may have been experiencing. Finally, he was cleared and gestured towards a staircase.  
On the third floor, Anakin stopped at a door with the mayor’s name and rapped his knuckles against it, shifting his weight back onto the balls of his feet.

“Come in.” 

Anakin pushed his way in, and Palpatine shuffled a few papers over the one he was writing on, eyes lighting up when he spotted the man.

“Detective Skywalker, it’s a pleasure,” his lips curled into a grin.

“It’s just Anakin,” Anakin shook his head and tucked his hands into his pockets.

“Of course. Call me Sheev. Please, sit my boy,” Palpatine gestured toward plastic-wrapped chairs, but Anakin shook his head, partly due to the fact that they looked uncomfortable and partly because he was beginning to regret his decision to come.

“Tell me,” Palpatine moved to sit, lacing his fingers together on his desk, “What can I help you with?”

“My wife—”

“Councilwoman Amidala, am I correct?” Palpatine interrupted, a plastic smile on his face.

Anakin studied him before nodding, “Padme. She’s pregnant, as you may know, and I’m concerned about how this virus may affect her.”

“Of course, it’s only natural for you to be concerned. Especially with her pregnancy. You wouldn’t want to lose your family to this. Too many have already been lost,” Palpatine clucked his tongue.

“No, I wouldn’t.” Anakin shifted his weight to his other foot, “Which is why I’m here. I was hoping you could help.”

“What makes you believe I have the resources to help?”

Anakin paused for a moment, having to bite on the inside of his cheek to avoid speaking. From what Padme insinuated, the mayor hid most of his dealings from the city but admitting to knowing that seemed to be a bad idea.

“I watch your broadcasts. You’re committed to helping the city.”

Silence followed the statement as Anakin watched Palpatine, never taking his eyes off his body. As a detective, he’d learned to read people, sense if they were lying, if they were uncomfortable, but everything about the mayor appeared calm and composed.

“That I am.” Finally, he nodded, “It isn’t easy. To lead so many people when the City Council persists in blocking all my motions. They’ve made procuring a vaccine for this virus very difficult.”

Anakin frowned. Padme hadn’t said she knew anything about a vaccine.

“But of course, you know this, being married to the Councilwoman,” Palpatine leaned back in his chair, his meeting Anakin’s. “If only there was a way for you to convince her to be more — lenient with her vetos.”

A tick in Anakin’s jaw formed as he slid his hands from his pockets. Speaking about Padme behind her back felt dirty, unfaithful. Palpatine was the one man who Padme never failed to complain about: his policy, his methods. He was her antithesis.  
But he couldn’t ignore the fear in him: the consistent worry, encouraged by the nightmares that plagued him like his very own virus. He needed to keep her safe, and this was the only way. 

He braced his gloved hands on the back of the guest chair.

“What do I need to do?”

***  
“Where did you get all these?” The surprise in Ahsoka’s voice was unmistakable as she and her girlfriend, Barriss Offee, surveyed the boxes of masks Padme produced, hidden beneath a tarp in her garage.

“Mayor Palpatine said they were a scarcity.”

Padme snorted, reaching down to lift one of the boxes to put into the backseat of Ahsoka’s Jeep. “A scarcity? More like not within the realm of his budget. He’s so worried about keeping money for his next campaign that he’s neglecting to care for his people. The way he’s going, there won’t be citizens left to vote for anyone.”

Anger flared in her chest as Ahsoka and Barriss quickly moved to the boxes, not wanting to have Padme heave them around with her pregnancy.

“Do you really think it’s going to get that bad?” Ahsoka frowned as she glanced over at Padme.

“It is that bad. Palpatine only has the news showing us the mediocre cases, not the severe. Did you know, downtown, there’s a homeless shelter that can hardly afford to put out food for people? Much less afford masks, gloves, sanitary products. I’ve been trying to help them as much as I can, but no matter how much I insist, Palpatine refuses to hear it.”

Her body began to tremble, and she placed her hands on her hips, taking a deep breath in. The doctor warned her of overexerting herself, and each time she thought of the mayor, her body went into overdrive, expecting a fight.

“Have you tried speaking to Anakin about it?” Barriss offered, “Surely he has some pull with the police department being one of their best detectives.”

Admiration dripped in her tone, and usually, Padme would be proud, but her vision focused only on her hatred for the mayor.

“The police department hardly holds any power over him. Half of the people in the chain of command are in Palpatine’s back pocket. We’ll just have to wait until the next election cycle and hope that how he’s dealing with this pandemic is enough to get him kicked out of office.”

“Maybe you should run for office, Padme,” Ahsoka leaned against the brake light of her car, her arms folded across her chest.

It was too often Padme forgot how much she grew since the first time they met. She used to be a spunky eighteen year old, eager to trail Anakin around in the field much to his annoyance. And now, she was in her twenties, freshly engaged and capable of everything Padme knew she would be.

“Me?” Her eyes widened, incredulous as she turned to her, “I can’t. Not with the babies coming.”

“Well, why not?” Ahsoka cocked her head to the side, “Anakin would take the time off from the PD. All he ever does is gush about you and the babies anyway. And the administration obviously needs an extreme rework. Plus, you’ll have the support of the people. You know them better than Palpatine does.”

Padme should have shunned the thought, but she let it fester, growing in her mind as she pictured all the changes she could bring to office: where she’d start, the people she’d fire, and all the secrets she’d uncover. But then she thought of her husband and her children, and how much she just wanted to have the family she dreamed of.

“The babies—”

“Need the world to be a better place,” Ashoka cut her off. “And you can do that. Just think about it.”

The three of them finished loading the boxes in silence as Padme’s phone dinged, alerting with a text message from Anakin that he was picking up dinner before coming home.

“The two of you had better go. Anakin won’t be happy to see us talking without a hazmat suit,” Padme smiled and reached out to hug Ahsoka.

“I’m taking half of these to the shelter and the other half to the clinic, right?” Ahsoka’s arms wrapped around her.

“Right,” she nodded and hugged Barriss as well before watching them climb into the car and start the engine.

“Think about what I said, Padme.”

Ahsoka’s eyes met hers in the side mirror, and Padme nodded, waving the two of them off.

Once they left, she closed the garage and walked into the living room, taking a place on the couch. Surely, her becoming mayor would be ridiculous. She had become the youngest councilwoman ever in the history of Coruscant politics (in the history of any politics) but mayor seemed to be such a large step. And with the pandemic, how could she convince people of the importance of politics as they suffered, sick and miserable while she remained safely tucked away in her house?

And Anakin. What would Anakin think?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!! not gonna lie, this isn't where I imagined this story going when I originally started it, but I'm starting to like the parallels to the original story. I know there wasn't much anidala content in this part (I promise the next one has some!!) but I needed to move just a little with the plot. my original idea was to have this in 3 parts, but I'm thinking of extending it if more plot is something you'd like to see. let me know!! <33 happy fan-ficing and stay healthy/safe out there


	3. phase three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin's decision to support Mayor Palpatine is challenged, and he has to decide if he trusts Palpatine's dedication to his people or if something more is going on.

**3 Months From Initial Quarantine**

The Skywalker house grew cold as the virus raged through Coruscant, claiming life after life until Mayor Palpatine called in the National Guard, enacting a formal order to keep all civilians inside of their homes. Based on the blocks they lived on, people were allowed to leave their house once a week to purchase essentials and any travel besides that needed formal documentation. Military regulated quarantine seemed the best option the city had to contain the growing, mutating virus.

And at the head of the military, Mayor Palpatine’s newest strategy: Anakin Skywalker. Having moved to Coruscant when he was a child, he knew the residents as well as anyone, and most of all, he knew how the city operated, what it needed to function. He was the new golden boy: Palpatine’s ticket to reelection.

“Rex,” Anakin spoke to one of the commanders of the national guard, “I want you to parole men at night. The CPD have been getting reports of people venturing out. I want to know where they’re going and why.”

“Yessir,” Rex briefly nodded, turning to relay the message to a guard on his right, who echoed the order into the radio.

A leaf blew past Anakin, and he heaved a sigh through his N95, reaching gloved fingertips out to catch it. 

Spring was just beginning to bloom, and without the pollution of people, the city was beautiful. Greenery sprouted from the sidewalk, squirrels, racoons, and even some deer dared to roam the streets, the air, what Anakin could breathe through his mask, ignited his lungs. Padme would love it outside.

“Would she?” Rex cocked an eyebrow, and Anakin turned to him, realizing rather quickly that he had spoke aloud.

“Uh, yeah. Spring is her favorite season,” he cleared his throat and released the lead, watching it float away.

“The twins are due soon, aren’t they? Right in the middle of spring.”

Anakin nodded, his eyebrows creasing in worry. He didn’t need to be reminded of how soon his children would come: he had hoped by their due date, the pandemic would be over, but it only seemed to be getting worse.

“Shouldn’t you be spending this time with Padme? Appreciating the alone time before the little buggers come?” Rex chuckled behind his mask.

Anakin bit the inside of his cheek, his annoyance flaring. First, it had been Obi-Wan urging him to stay home with Padme, then Ahsoka, and now Rex. Why did everyone have an opinion on what he was doing?

“She’s not very pleased with me right now.” 

Memories of Padme sleeping with her back turned to him and blatantly ignoring him during breakfast flashed through his mind.

“Trouble in paradise?”

“I wouldn’t call this mess paradise. Maybe hell,” Anakin rolled his eyes before he crossed his arms over his chest, surveying Rex.

Rex was an old friend who Anakin worked with when he was a younger officer, a friend Padme hadn’t gotten to know as well. When he tried confiding in Obi-Wan or Ahsoka, they maintained Padme’s interests, but maybe Rex would see his side.

“She’s upset that I’m working with the mayor on this,” Anakin chose his words carefully. “She thinks he has an ulterior motive and that there are better people to be supporting.”

He neglected to mention the fact that it was her Padme thought Anakin should be supporting.

Rex raised an eyebrow.

“And what do you think?”

“I think Palpatine is trying to rectify a situation he’s been given. Imagine having to deal with this mess?” Anakin gestured around his head for emphasis. “He knew he couldn’t do it alone. Why do you think he asked me for help?”

Rex nodded, his eyes shifting to gaze over the horizon, watching as the sun dipped three quarters of the way through the sky, “Who are we really helping?”

“What?”

He shrugged and turned to Anakin again. In his military suit and mask, he looked like a character from a video game — all he needed was a helmet.

“Who are we really helping here? We’re keeping people locked in their homes, forcing people who don’t have homes into shelters, and for what? The numbers keep growing, people are dying more rapidly. Maybe spending the funds on the military wasn’t the right choice.”

A frown crossed Anakin’s face, and he pursued his lips. Padme had said the same thing to him, pointed out her suspicions as to why Palpatine wasn’t funding medical relief and health workers. But it had been an outlandish claim. He couldn’t believe the Mayor intentionally wanted a majority of the people who elected him dead.

“Sir,” Fives stepped beside Rex and Anakin, “we’ve caught a straggler trying to sneak out. He’s being held a couple blocks away. Would you like us to arrest him?”

“No,” Anakin quickly shook his head, “take me to him. I want to know what’s going on.”

And he wanted to get away from the uncertainty clouding his judgment. He’d made a choice by siding with Palpatine: he was doing what was best for him and Padme, and she’d see that when the pandemic was over. If he had to live with her silence, then he would to keep her safe

***  
A short trip in a squad car later and Anakin and Rex arrived at one of the checkpoint areas, greeted by the guards stationed there. They quickly led the two to their tent, and inside, Anakin’s eyes eagerly scanned the inside, expecting to find a neighbor he knew, but instead, his view came to rest on a young boy. He couldn’t have been any older than ten, and he sat on a chair, in all black clothes, clutching the scarf around his nose.

“Who’s this?”

“Sir, he’s - uh- the straggler,” Echo cleared his throat, and the guards around him shifted.

Obviously, no one was comfortable having to detain a child.

Stepping up to the boy, Anakin crouched down in front of him as Rex brought a mask out of his utility pouch and offered it to the boy.

“Hey there,” Anakin watched as the boy wrapped the mask around his mouth, “you know you aren’t supposed to be sneaking around right now. It’s dangerous, you could get really sick.”

“I had to,” the boy’s voice quivered. “My mom needs medicine.”

Everyone in the tent froze before slowly inclining their bodies away from the boy. He seemed to notice, and panic welled his eyes. 

Anakin stood his ground. “Is your mom sick?”

The boy slowly nodded, scanning the tent before his attention returned to Anakin. “She’s been sick for a long time. Cancer.”

A collective sigh of relief passed through the tent as the guards returned to their work.

“She should be having her medicine delivered to her. All pharmacies were ordered by Mayor Palpatine to deliver things.”

The boy shook his head, “Mama says that isn’t true. She says only the mayor’s favorite people get their medicine. That he doesn’t care about the people like her. She doesn’t have a lot of money.”

“Mayor Palpatine isn’t discriminating financially,” Anakin shook his head, frowning behind his mask. “Everyone is being treated the same. So we can try to fix this.”

“Well, you’re wrong.” The boy spoke so matter of factly, Anakin did a slight double take. Children shouldn’t have to grow up so fast, shouldn’t have to worry about things like sick mothers.

Anakin surveyed the boy, watched the fear in his eyes grow at the possibility of punishment for sneaking out, but he looked beyond that. There was a fire in his eyes, a steely determination that reminded Anakin so vividly of Padme. He didn’t know what to do with the boy. Hell, he hardly knew if he believed what he was saying. Bit there was someone who would. Someone who could help.

“Get him a test,” Anakin ordered the nearest guard. “I’ll wait with him to see the results. If they’re positive, get him uncontaminated clothes and some gloves. I have someone to take him to.”

***

Assured the boy was clear of COVID-19, Anakin drove down the street to the Skywalker house, his gloved finger tips tapping on the steering wheel.

“So, I’m not in trouble?” The boy, who Anakin learned was named Lelo, sat in the passenger seat.

“No.”

“Then where are you taking me?”

“To someone important. I want you to tell them what you told me.”

“Why?” Lelo crinkled his nose.

“She can help you.”  
“How do you know that?” Lelo pressed, and Anakin felt his irritation grow slightly.

“Because I’m a grown up. And grown ups know things.”

Lelo sighed, exasperated by the man’s vague answers, but the two settled into silence as Anakin pulled into the driveway, eyes narrowing when he spotted Obi-Wan’s car in the opened garage.

No one was supposed to be home but Padme. She’d promised she’d take precautions.

“Wait here.” Anakin unbuckled his seatbelt and slid out of the car before Lelo could protest, storming through the garage and through the door that led to the house to find Padme and Obi-Wan, backs turned to him as they leaned over a box and peered inside. 

“What’s going on?” The unmistakable rage boiled in Anakin’s tone as his fists curled at his sides.

His eyes clouded over. Again and again, all he could see were his nightmares of Padme dying, infected, sick, leaving Anakin alone and without the love of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...dun...dun...dun!!! I tried to mirror this scene off Anakin on Mustafar with Obi-Wan and Padme, and I hope that came through lol. I've been having a lot of fun writing this, and it's going to wrap up nicely!! I'm thinking of adding an epilogue maybe just maybe after the final part. School started back up for me, which is big sad, but I'm making finishing this a top priority. After this, I've been toying around with an Anidala Hades/Persephone AU so let me know if that's something interesting. I hope you're still enjoying this fic and stay safe and wash your hands!! We can flatten the curve by staying inside, reading and writing fanfic all day <3


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